Si/
2 8 THE RETURN FROM HUNTING.
UiealifasL is usually in inslaiil prcparalion, as soon as llic party arc seen rel
u m i n g liouiewardstea, coireo, cohl meats, eggs, boiled rice, salt fish, See.
arc placed on llu- Lal)lo, u illi ulmndance of luilk, bread, butter, &c. Of these
the hearty sporlsnieu parlake in such a style as wouhl not disgrace an equal
nil la her of ploughmen; not forgetting, liowever, at intervals to lain I over tlie field
anew, and to recount ihe many hair breadth 'scapes " of the day; " in-which their
memory is perhaps aided by a view of the hidky game, borne by the villagers;
cither sliing on bamboos, or recumbent on bc<lsteads,
described in the Plutc.
The repast over, the hookahs, or smoking apparatus,
ire ialroduccd, and the
p a r l y gradually retire, some to visit their horses and dogs, others to give directions
regarding ihe dinner, or to other matters; each however assumes his long
drawers, anil betaking to his bed, attended by a menial, who with a chov:rie
keeps oQ" the Hies, devotes some liours to the drowsy deity ; seldom awaking
before a servant announces that dinner is nearly ready, and that all is prepared
for master's dressing. What with a sound nap, clean linen, and bathing by
means of five or six large pots of water thrown over the head, fresh vigour is
imparled, enabling the sportsmen to do honour to an excellent dinner, accompanied
with excellent liquors. Arrangements are made for shooting, or coursing,
durhig the evening, after which diversions the wliole re-assemble to tea, when a
handsome display of variou.? game usually takes place. Cards perhaps iill up
an hour or two: suppers are unusual; indeed it is rare to lind any one
stirring after ten at night, especially at military stations, and on parties of
pleasure.
Din-ing the holiest season topes or plantations of mango, and other trees, are
invariably selected for cneampmenLs. These trees, which grow to the size of a
large walnut, or moderate beech, are generally planted with great regularity, at
from twenty-five to thirty feet <listance eaeh way. Some topes arc very extensive,
being large enough Lo contain an encampment of eighteen or twenty
battalions. That at Plassey was called Luc.k-pccnj, from the supposition that it
contained a lack, i. e. an hundred thousand trees. The designation was, however,
merely figurative, and in the true style of oriental hyperbole. Lach-peery,
when in preservation, was not more than two miles long, and not half a mile in
b r e a d l i i ; and as each tree occupied a space of nearly four perches, an acre could
not contain more than lifty : hence, at six hundred and forty acres to the
square mile, Lack-pccn/ could not boast more than about ihirtij, instead of an
hnnilred thousand trees.
Mango wood is not valuable, it being by no means strong, nor capable of
taking any polish ; worms attack it with avidity, as do those destructive vermin
the white ants, although it is replete with turpentine. The rind of the fruit is
acrid, but the inside is sweet and high Ihivourcd. In this i. must be understood
as speaking of the good kinds, for perhaps no species of fruit has so many
varieties, either in shape or flavour; some tasting like an excellent apricot, and
others equally resembling a bad carrot. Not only the same tope, though
originally planted from the same parent stock, will vary, but even the produce
from the same tree will prove perfectly dissimilar ! Trees bearing fine large
f r u i t are generally monopolized by persons of rank or fortune, who keep
chokcydars (or watclnnen) to debar strangers from participation, in some yeai-s
mangos arc so abundant as not to be worth the pulling, exce])L in the vicinity
of large towns ; while in scarce seasons a good tree ])roves highly valuable ;
requiring however mucii attention Lo keep off the perroquets, starlings, &c.
which are excellent judges of fruit. Some mangos weigh at least half a pound,
while others may be found not to weigh half an ounce. There is a small tope
near Jiurazzec bang, in the Ramghur district, bearing mangos not larger than
a pullet's egg, and having a thin Hat stone, resembling a piece of gristle, but
without any visible kernel. It is said this may be efiected in large fruit by
repeated graftings, a thing unknown among the natives. Such as proceed to
India sliould be cautious not to indulge in eating many mangos; which,
though a very wholesome, aperient fruit, possesses, in consequence of its
abounding in turpentine, a heating quality, and invariably causing those who
eat of them too freely to break out with numerous and very large biles.
The reader may perhaps be curious to know liow dinners, &c. are lo be
cooked in the open air. Coals are not in use in India ; and indeed, except in
Ramghur, are unknown. Charcoal or wood embers sulHce ; the spits being
supported on iron dogs, and the pots placed either on choolahs made of earth,
or on cavities cut in tlie ground to contain the fire, allowing air to draw
t h r o u g h freel}^ The dinner tent is generally spacious and well situated ; and
is in the hot season wqW supplied with tafties (or lattices enclosing cuss-cuss,
jexsdssah, &c.), which being kept constantly watered, cool the wind, and render
the interior most agreeably fresh and temperate. For the or<linary construction
of tents the reader is refen-ed to Plate Í. in the description of which that
particular is fully given. Their dimensions in the military are regulated, but
those for private use vaiy, both in form and size, at the pleasure of the proprietor
: they however rarely exceed sixteen feet square, if single-poled;
though Jiiany may call to mind an enormous one, possessed by that intelligent
and facetious companion the late Lieutenant Edward Golding, which owing to
its un))aralleled extent, obtained the very expressive designation of guzzee
gunge : literally the cloth market.
With regard lo the servants, they either find shelter under the projecting
flies of their ma.5ter"s tent, or by fixing two poles upright, wilh a ridge pole
between them, and throwing over a coarse blanket which they distend to small
pin.s driven into the g round, form very comfortable awnings, capable of throwing
oíF very heavy rain, and much diminishing the sun's power. One of these contrivances
is exhibited in the Plate. Few think of screening their horses from
fair weather, being satisfied with a good blanket, which generally
every purpose: in fact, I know nothing more eflectual than a doubh
for keeping a horse dry >
: the heaviest rain,
always be ])icketled on a
«¡•round and on a fin
u p to his knees in mud.
I blanket
horse should however
soil, else he will soon be
P L A T E VIII.
DRIVING ELEPHANTS INTO A KEDDAH.
THERE are various modes of taking elephants, all of which depend on the
situations wher e they are found, and on the capital which an adventurer in that
business can employ. The usual practice is to drive them into a keddah, which
is a large area surrounded by a broad ditch, too wide for an elephant lo stride
over, and of a considerable depth. To render all completely secure, a paling of
large limbers is made around, on the outside of the ditch, well bound wilh
strong battens, and supported by props at suitable distances; forming altogclher
an immense bulwark. The size of the animals to be laken, their
numbers, and the ferocity which they evince on discovering iheir situation,
all combine to render such a barrier most indispensabl)'^ necessary.
Towards the entrance of the keddah is added a work similar in its construction
to the main body, projecting at an angle each way, so as Lo form a
kind of funnel, Lo receive the elephants when first driven from the jungles,
and to facililate the urging them into the keddah itself, of whicli the entrance
is left open.
When a large herd of elephants is discovered, or when two or more small
herds are found so contiguous as to bo easily brought together, the people of
the neighbouring country, who in general receive regular wages for their aid,
are collected lo surround them ; and often assemble to the number of six or
eight thousand men. On these occasions ther e must be no deficiency of iire-arms,
drums, trumpets, fire-works, and, in short, every thing that can intimidate the
herd. It should be observed, that elephants are extremely alarmed bv strange
noises, or objects, and especially by fire ; they are even far more so than the
tiger. There are instances where persons, by simply clapping their iiands, have
escaped from imminent danger among herds of wild elephants.
The firing and noise arc principally kept up on that side from which it is iu-
Lended to drive the herd ; the men composing that part of the circle nearest to
tlie keddah gradually retiring towards it. Thus the whole body move slowly
towards the funnel, in which is strewed a small quantity of those fruits and
vegetables in which elephants delight, such as plantains, sugar canes, &c. It is
not to be supposed that this operation is confined to a few hours : many days
are frequently required to conduct a herd wilh safety; indeed some times the
elephants are to be driven thirLy or forty miles, which must he done at a slow
pace. This circumstance, added Lo ihe great management re{]uisite lo keep the
circle compact and uniform, necessarily create much delay. It sometimes
happens, however, that, eilher from want of conduct in the driving, or that
some invincible male, setting all means of terror at defiance, breaking througli
and leading the herd, the whole labour is ihrown away, and the operations mu.st
b e recommenced. When such is the case, signals from the neighbouring hills
direcL the necessary measures for recovering the prize, which nevertheless is
noL always Lo be regained.
When the circle of men arrive at the funnel, those who are next to the
enlrance into the keddah gradually open to the right and left, forming a
passage for the herd, which thus becomes sun-ounded partly by the people, aud
partly by the funnel itself; as seen in ihe Plate. Although by no means reconciled
to their fate, the elephants begin to taste of their favourite foods, which
being ([uickly consumed, some by degrees venture into the keddah; where the
baits are in greater abundance. The C-xample is .soon followed, and in general
little coercion is rctpiisite on the part of the people to urge the whole within the
paling; when, by means of strong bars placed horizontally, and other fastenings,
security is soon esLablishcd, If, however, as in some instances it has been experienced,
the elephanLs will not enter ihe keddah freely, the efiorts of ihe
multitude must be exerted to the utmost; for much resistance may be
expected.
Nor should it be supposed that the herd are altogether passive at any tune;
one, or more, will always be desirous of regaining its liberty, rushing with
great speed, and full of resentment, towards the surrounding parties : but the
discharge of a musquet, a squib, or the forcibly waving a ilag, is generally
suilicieut to repel the attempt.
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